How To Make Money in VFX (Allan McKay talks The 50K Myth) VFX Salary 2020

Рет қаралды 9,547

3 жыл бұрын

The first 1000 people who click the link will get 2 free months of Skillshare Premium: skl.sh/allanmckayvfxbranding0820
--
Join My Free 'Inner Circle' with free classes, tutorials, playbooks and more - www.allanmckay.com/inside/
****************
CONNECT ON SOCIAL
▶︎ NEW - My Podcast | www.allanmckay.com/podcast/
▶︎ Instagram | @allanmckayofficial - (Daily Stories!)
▶︎ Free Visual Effects Course (10+ Lessons FREE FX Course) - www.vfxcourse.com
▶︎ Website | www.allanmckay.com
****************
How do you make money in VFX?
I want to discuss the 50K myth a lot of us have - around the mindset of money and what we can accomplish in general.
Many of us believe in the starving artist .. that "Art Doesn't Pay" and because of this, we put a glass ceiling over what we can accomplish.
We set our goals of what we can achieve to reflect those mindsets.
This isn't a 'ra ra speech' this is something I've seen time and time again.
That we lower the bar, and convince ourselves that this is the best we can do - and so our strategies we build around getting results, are set within those bounds.
I'm fascinated with Sports Psychology which factors into this so well - that our performance is based around what we know is possible. It's no wonder why I reference the 4 Minute Mile here, because to me that is the epitome of pushing the boundaries on something - once you know it's possible.
Most of us think "the VFX industry sucks" "there's no money in art" and sure enough, we then live those results. Where as others who see perhaps someone else 'make it' and earn 100k, 200k, 500k+ and then wonder "if they can do it.. how would that apply to me?" and it sends them down a rabbit-hole to completely changing their strategy on what they're doing.
I've seen this so many times, I've had this discussion over dinner or drinks with many successful friends, "so many times" and I've lived this exact experience "so many times".
And every time - I look back and think "no wonder, what I was doing wasn't working". And of course, at the time it did look impossible. It did look like "art doesn't pay" because what I was doing, or what I "wasn't doing" was the exact reason for this.
It's just up to you - whether you want to put in the work and raise your standards to have bigger goals to go after.
This video was sponsored by Skillshare
****************
CONNECT ON SOCIAL
▶︎ NEW - My Podcast | www.allanmckay.com/podcast/
▶︎ Instagram | @allanmckayofficial - (Daily Stories!)
▶︎ Free Visual Effects Course (10+ Lessons FREE FX Course) - www.vfxcourse.com
▶︎ Website | www.allanmckay.com
****************
#AllanMcKay #50KMyth #starvingartist #4minutemile #artdoesn'tpay

Пікірлер: 65

@inspirationalgoosebumps6006 3 жыл бұрын

Allan, I always get goosebumps while listening to you. Your explanation is like a healer. You know once I feared that jobs in VFX does not give room to spend time with family and friends. But I realised it is possible if you do it in a right and efficient way. If you break that barrier in your mind which never lets you go beyond your physical and mental capabilities, you become an inspiration for others. 😌 ✌️

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

That's so awesome man! I do think there are times you're going to have to do some late ones but that's every industry. But definitely as time progresses you get better at managing yourself and your time and communicating with managers what needs to be done so that you don't all end up working late. That's really great that you're mastered the game and found that balance, really awesome brother! 👊👊🔥

@nikolaostsimpetonidis4243 3 жыл бұрын

One of the biggest barrier I hear by my surroundings, apart from salaries, to much competition etc. is that it is unlikely for me to switch career, from teaching to VFX, now in my 40s. To be honest when I hear all the comments by people around me I get discouraged a lot. Listening to all the " you are too old... ", " usually companies prefer younger ones to start as a runner", "younger don't have family obligations", " younger can get paid cheaper..." and so on. Honestly, I am tired of listening to all these negative comments. Listening to your inspiring videos, really keeps me going and believing in myself. Like you say, if others did it, why can't I or anyone else who is/might be in my shoe? Many thanks for the as always highly inspiring video! All the best and stay safe!!

@RaviKumar-fo7ys 3 жыл бұрын

'We are all habit builders and we are also habit breakers' Thanks, Allan.

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

LOVE IT! AND YES I couldn't stress this more - so critical. Thanks Ravi!

@7bajwa 3 жыл бұрын

I remember when I started in the industry. Going abroad and working in the big studio seemed like a big unachievable dream. When I joined my first company, I saw people leaving and join some big studios across the world. Which gave me confidence and a same thought that I can do it too. So after 2 years of hard-work and a good portfolio, I joined one of the place I always wanted to work. Cheers Alan, Love your videos, Learned a lot and got so much confidence. I am not in VFX but I always love the guidance. It works the same in all the art fields. Keep sharing your knowledge. :)

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

That's so great man and congrats on all your success! 👊🔥

@MirceaGoia 3 жыл бұрын

As always, your discourses are inspiring :)!

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Mircea!

@AB-mv1mb 3 жыл бұрын

your videos are so inspiring!

3 жыл бұрын

Hello Allan, great yo see you again, and many thanks for this video, it gives me new energy to start growing high in mi career and health for the mind. again thank you

@deshpandemediaservices 3 жыл бұрын

Your video makes sense thanks

@arunckraj 3 жыл бұрын

Very inspiring and informative Allan!!

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Arunckraj!

@Bruceleekungfoo Жыл бұрын

Great videos! I worked with Rodriguez in Desperado and he showed me during production how he would set up shots, etc. I made my own "El Mariachi" action film in Mexico for $50K and got it released on Blockbuster Home Video. 🎬🎥

@AllanMcKay Жыл бұрын

That’s so cool! Always wanted to meet him, loved his book. I’ve had multiple people promise to introduce me but nobody has come through haha. What’s the name of your movie? Congratulations btw that’s massive to have done that especially for 50k

@pooya1 3 жыл бұрын

I should invite my entire family and play this video for them! thank for sharing Allan! you are my hero!

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Pooya1! I'm honored 🙏

@creativestudio8838 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Allan

@pixoled 3 жыл бұрын

Hello Allan, thank so much for bringing this topic up just in right time (personally for mentioning myself) cause as a 3D generalist i have been in this field for 6 years now i love what i do but recently i was struggling to change my field because of low income and got tired of working with low budget clients. I was telling myself to do other things for money just like anybody does to feed their family. Then, i did a 2 weeks of research being SQL developer which was paying good and was easier to learn comparing to other programming languages but in 2 weeks i realized that all the fields have huge competition. Then, your topic popped up and i loved watching it. Thanks again for your motivational video which brought me back to the field again. Now, i understood that spending time to be a master of your fields is more important then giving up at the beginning of your career.

@inspirationalgoosebumps6006 3 жыл бұрын

Yup. You did the right thing . Proud of you.

@masterfootage5481 3 жыл бұрын

Good day, Allan. It is always with great pleasure that I watch your videos inspired by them. I would love to hear your opinion. I think this question has arisen in the minds of many. I love working at max, but a giant like Houdini is growing very fast. Can 3ds max compete with it in the presence of plugins (such as TP, Tyflow and Phoenix FD, etc.). For destruction, I still leave the preference for TP. No matter what constrain is prescribed, it is inferior to SC in TP. I would be glad if you take a minute of your time to answer me. I wish you good luck and success, and most importantly the health of the strongest! Thank!

@theonewhorules 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Allan, great advice per usual. Have you thought about doing a vfx breakdown on Bloodshot (and maybe your work on it)? That would be awesome as Bloodshot is my fav so far for 2020!

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

I still haven't seen it! I bought the movie on Amazon the day it came out but never actually going time to watch it yet. Definitely got a lot of stuff like that coming up I'm hoping to start posting multiple times a week on a lot of different content. So I've needed to take a step back to figure out the logistics of how to do that first and train up a team to work through the process So that will mean starting to do the VFX breakdowns and a lot of other stuff very shortly

@jayrangani 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Allan thanks for making all this videos,I'm also try to make big career in art industry,and your videos are very inspiring and full of knowledge.hope i will meet you one day.

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome Jay! And definitely looking forward to meeting one day!

@jso19801980 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Alan, hope your well, you helped me via icq more than 20yrs ago. I'm still working in the 3d industry and doing fine.

@peacelover5729 3 жыл бұрын

Watching it even though I'm not currently interested in vfx, my kinda goal was to have game studio, currently got level design role after around 6 months of trying(not even seriously try, but trying to get efficient, one thing i realized is many study stuff online feels inefficient(maybe case with offline too) there's video on how to take high res screenshot in Unreal Engine, such simple thing, people even tell how to install software sometimes) However the role is unpaid at the moment so not that super high role, but I'm working on my way on, btw I'm sleepy now might have typos

@harshkevat9236 3 жыл бұрын

We have to study couple of softwares or only one like maya ... I wanna make carrer in vfx will i have to go for degree or just professional courses like maac maya academy of advanced cinematics

@johnsackman2453 3 жыл бұрын

Great video! But how did you bypass the 125 work week and still remain productive?

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

EXACTLY - I have an article that's archived right now (I'm bringing all my old articles back online soon). I have done those hours many times over my career - one of the last times was on the movie 2012. Which is mostly what I was referring to (letting my friends stay in my Berlin hotel since I only went back there every few days to shower). That was by far the worst work conditions of my life. Which took me 6 months of being completely burned out unable to work. I wrote an article after that called "overtime vs productivity" on how working so much OT managers expect to get more results, when you do the math, it really reverses productivity altogether. There is such a thing as doing sprints - but long-term 120-150 hour weeks for 3 months is not sustainable and the results you end up getting after a while end up being much worse than if you were to be maintaining a regular sleep schedule. It's a much bigger conversation - in some cases it's nice - you charge OT and you make bank. I knew someone at Weta making $20k per week doing so much OT, but the health and also relationships (family etc) factors need to come into play as well. I think working hard, doing late nights on occasion (in any industry) is completely acceptable. And normal. It happens from time to time. But as a management strategy it doesn't work. So to answer your question - I reached a point on the Berlin job where I wasn't productive, I would make mistakes, I would not think straight, it's not an effective management strategy. After I wrote that article I had a lot of positive feedback from supervisors, studio owners and managers at many major studios around the globe. And I had seen a lot of positive changes actually happen from it. Of course there are plenty of studios that work artists to the bone, but again that's any industry and it's mostly smaller shops where in reality you don't want to work for in the first place. It's just a matter of asking the right questions up front to really get a feel for whether they are a positive work place or one that doesn't really know what they're doing. I hope that helps John!

@kruthikanj 3 жыл бұрын

❤️❤️❤️ love from India, keep making those awesome videos Allan, you are awesome 😍😍😍

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much Kruthi!

@kruthikanj 3 жыл бұрын

@@AllanMcKay you're welcome, sorry for the spelling mistake in your name, I fixed it 🤗 but it also taught me something new today, pinned comments gets unpinned if edited 😅

@akhilshekar8427 3 жыл бұрын

I really loves vfx industry,Recently I completed my course and now I'm looking for a job. One company offered me job, salary is 8000 thousand rupees per month, but my room rent is 8000 thousand how can I struggle with this salary. now I'm planning to leave this industry.😥 and I lost my 234000 rupees to complete my course.😥

@suraj6177 3 жыл бұрын

What was your first payment/salary when you entered industry?

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

I started on 25k At least for my first staff job

@anupamdasrc6970 3 жыл бұрын

Way back in the day at DD I use to notice all the Houdini guys would go home early or play volley ball at the beach (I was using LightWave at the time). Thought they were lazy, but actually they were smart and doing some amazing shot work. As a technical/artist/programmer guy, I find automating the shit out of everything is what establishes that work life balance. that and spending the time to research new workflows, and using really awesome tools (Houdini, Substance, Quixel..etc). I mean we can complain about upper management, or offshoring work..and all of that is real and true , im sorry but they are. Its going to take time to resolve and not all of it is directly in our hands. So, workflows that automate the repetitive monkey work leaving much more time for creative decisions is key. On a side note, I think AI/Machine Learning inside an art pipeline will greatly help as well. Learning to code and automate things is So important right now, and can really help accelerate your career even if you consider yourself a pure artist type. IMO. You've hit on all of the automation stuff in much of your training videos and thank you for that. Artists need to learn how to code.. at least the basics.

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks man yeah that means a lot and it's funny you say that. Every just the last few days there's been so many tasks that either for me or my team just seemed to be taking far too long, even editing documents for social etc. So I ended up writing tools or image generators etc. Autonation just gives you an extension of what you can do It's so critical That's really awesome I couldn't agree more with everything you said And I remember those days of DD Venice the guys would all go surfing for an hour because the network went down or other things like that. Haha You definitely need to find your escapes Thanks good sharing Anupam!

@igor_timofeev 3 жыл бұрын

I used to make VFX footages for Shutterstock and have some $1.59 per download... Working for peanuts, yeah.

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

Well you could always find websites that have better rev split or still on your website and make 100% of the profit. But you then are responsible for the traffic not shutterstock. However if the footage you're selling is good and worth it, raise the prices. If it's not, find original ideas or work on the quality of the footage so it is worth it. I've got plenty of colleagues making tens of thousands of dollars selling stock. So either find a website that pays better, or bring the customers to you

@RichardServello 3 жыл бұрын

I've been doing quite well financially for 15 years in VFX. Is this really a thing?

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

Apparently - if you listen to some of the comments people make here. That nobody gets hired, you only make $100 a day, etc etc I honestly think there is a slant, that there are artists that don't really make much progress in their career - but it's usually because they coast and don't really treat it like a business. But then there's those who 3x everyone else's revenue and go on to direct features or have ultra success in their career - because they take their career seriously. Which is why I wanted to address this in this video, that a lot of us set the bar low and because of that the career strategies we put in place reflect that Thanks for sharing btw Richard!

@RichardServello 3 жыл бұрын

@@AllanMcKay that makes sense. VFX is literally the only thing I ever wanted to do. I used to make stop motion animations with my families VHS camera as a kid and did animations with a vcr and drawing program. I got a bootleg copy of lightwave when I was in high school and made animations on a Pentium 4 that took a week to render. There's nothing else I've ever wanted to do. It's always been a very serious endeavour for me. I've worked for 20 years to be the best at what I do. Thank you for sharing your experience. Glad you're doing well now!

@shubhamsarma4419 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Allan love from India....need help ....how to connect personally with you.....PLS HELP!

@kruthikanj 3 жыл бұрын

Have you tried sending an email bro?

@shubhamsarma4419 3 жыл бұрын

@@kruthikanj no... what's the Id?

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

@@shubhamsarma4419 amckay@allanmckay.com - send me an email happy to help where I can

@inspirationalgoosebumps6006 3 жыл бұрын

@@AllanMcKay Allan you are an ossum person 🤩🤩

@007walk 3 жыл бұрын

For me its always i need to get better before going out there and looking for my own clients, or even do freelance work. Because I know people are always after high quality work and i just feel that my own quality is not up to the standard.

@Lysdexi 3 жыл бұрын

100k isn't a lot at all. VFX artist are severely underpaid thanks to decade of studios practicing in a race to the bottom. A junior developer with 6 months of experience gets the same salary as a 10 year senior compositor in germany. Stop making excuses for the industry.

@Lysdexi 3 жыл бұрын

@@surprenantzac I don't see a reality where this is gonna happen unless the structure of the industry changes.

@RP_VFX 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Mr. Allen I hope you can take out a minute to help me out with something.. Till now I have only learned maya as a 3d software.. And not much time left for me when I'll enter the industry.. So I hope you could help me about which softwares are important and used in the industry.. Also I've not learned anything(vfx) from any institutes or schools.. I'm learning everything by myself from KZfaq.. So will it affect my career? I mean do studios see any certificate of vfx school and institutes or it won't matter if I have same (or maybe better) skills than my competition...

@AllanMcKay 3 жыл бұрын

Hi RPVFX - all studios care about is your demo reel. If you can show you did the work - that's all that matters. Nobody cares about what kind of education you had - despite what schools might say. All I and every other employer cares about is "can you do the work" So don't worry about where your education is coming from just the quality of work you're putting out. Understanding a visual effects pipeline and the process is important, so make sure you are able to demonstrate you can finish shots and understand the studio process. Best of luck! check out www.allanmckay.com/myreel/ for the demo reel guide I put out - hope that helps!

@RP_VFX 3 жыл бұрын

@@AllanMcKay thank you so much Mr. Allan.. Also regarding softwares.. Can you please suggest me if there are any specific softwares used in the vfx industry I mean I've learned maya and I'm about to start learning houdini but I was hoping if you could suggest me some softwares so that I don't waste time learning Softwares that aren't used in main industry..

@ivanbonavick227 3 жыл бұрын

@@RP_VFX it really depends on each studio. Most common ones are houdini, thinking particles, fumeFx, tyflow is in constant development and i think it has potential, maya, 3ds max, realflow, etc. My suggestion is: focus in one or two soft (houdini is a great option) and learn as mucho as you can. If you do that, moving to another soft will be much easier, since all soft are diffetent, but has the same principles, so its just more about learning the interfaces and workflow.

@RP_VFX 3 жыл бұрын

@@ivanbonavick227 thank you broo..

@inspirationalgoosebumps6006 3 жыл бұрын

@@RP_VFX but suggesting software to you also depends on what you like to do example do want to be an fx artist ? Then houdini. Do you want to be an modeller then for base - 3ds max then maya then z brush, do you want to be texture artist ? Then substance painter ,photoshop,do you want to be an animator ? Then maya, do you want to be an compositor ? Then after effects, fusion , nuke. Rigging artist ? Maya. Lighting artist ? Maya,modo,or houdini. Houdini has node based procedural workflow so most of the times information about it is necessary

@RichardServello 3 жыл бұрын

OMG... If I made $50k I wouldn't be able to pay all my bills and support my family.

@teeambird2079 9 ай бұрын

We get it you make loads of money.

@bobankrsmanovic9398 3 жыл бұрын

Many people praise Alan for the video (and they should), but I don't think many understand what Allan actually do with this video. Even with this video, he is growing his business. Every single view or like, is to boost his personal ID, and so on. Again, nothing wrong with that. But it's a more like situation where semi famous person release a book "How I get famous", and with good marketing it sold like millions, and he get really famous. Did the readers get famous? No. Because they don't understand that simple trick. But again, nothing wrong with that. Especially Allan, whom's free tutorials learns me better skills then any schools. If anyone deserves fame (for his free contribution to the community), Allan deserves it. One thing I disagree with the video, is that comparation with the running guy. Sure, he can beat that 4 minutes. But can he beat 10 seconds? Yet, it's a good example of strong will. But I think Allan, you are confusing here 2 things: Strong will, and (primal)sense of marketing. There is people that don't have strong will, yet very successful, because they have strong feel of marketing. You have it both. You had strong will, until you realized you're just a slave, then your sense of marketing comes in.. and you become, what are you now. That's how I see it, and of course, I might be wrong of everything. Keep up the great work man.